In what ways has patriarchy affected Christian understandings of God as well as Christian liturgical celebr?

Question

In what ways has patriarchy affected Christian understandings of God as well as Christian liturgical celebration?

Answer 1

SO much! The way we typically think of God is a Monarchical Model- God as an earthly king, who is both law giver and judge. Obviously, kings are male, so God is male. This has some interesting implications. God is distant, and God is a judge, which sets us up to live in a performance model, meeting God's requirements. As for patriarchy specifically, there's an interesting quote by Mary Daly. "When God is male, the male is God." God as a male monarch legitimates the domination of men over women. It also makes women questions how they can be in the image of God if God isn't imagined in female form.

My answer to this dilemma is to not use this monarchical model of God. Rather, I imagine God as more of a spirit entity, an all encompassing reality that pervades the entire universe as well as beyond that. No gender needed.

Answer 2

Our patriarchal society has affected the christian religion through the slow but steady fazing out of Mary Magdalene. Recently she has come back but still she is shown as a "prostitute" the most demeaning of all. Also Patriarchy has effected who can and cannot teach the word of the "lord"... Notice how the ones preforming rites and those instructing the masses are always male. Nuns/Sisters have been instituted but only to quiet the women who are desperately trying to find equality. Also the church used witchcraft to destroy a good size of the female population. Although males were killed there was alot less of them. It is averaged that 6 million females were slaughtered on the suspicion of witchcraft. This led to MALE witchhunters and the rise in male power through the thought that we were less likely to be led to temptation. Typically the average christian assumes that god is male. From the bible it reads that he made adam from his own image. So right then and there god is a man.. patriarchal enough? Afterwards he subtly makes Eve so Adam has a plaything. Cute isn't it? In the past but due to anti-sexism movements the church had to change an old way. This happened a long time ago. Church used to have the males all in near the priest while all females waited behind grating. Obviously showing their inferiority in the precense of god. All this is assuming that the christian religion is more or less.. pieced together by a bunch of guys. Help?

Answer 3

It's difficult to say because before Christianity during the days of Egyptian Culture when God was worshiped as a woman, it was obviously different . Unfortunately, those religious practices are kept from the people. It's as if today's religions are embarrassed to talk about it. One thing that history has shown is that the killing in the name of God apparently got its big start when God was changed into a man.

Answer 4

Indeed.

Answer 5

what? huh?